Entertainment

Anime Fans Will Love 'Jujutsu Kaisen 0'

Everyone else… will have a hard time understanding what the hell is going on.

Funimation
Funimation
Funimation

In the post-lockdown box office, a few bankable trends that signal a new movie will rake in good money have calcified: be a movie that stars Tom Holland, be The Batman or a similarly huge superhero property, or be an anime movie of an existing mega-popular series. The first instance of the latter emerged in October 2020 when Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train opened in Japan. Within six weeks, it became the country’s highest-grossing film ever, besting Spirited Away, Titanic, Frozen, and Your Name. Landing in the states in April 2021, when theaters were just unlocking their doors again, it opened at No. 1 at the box office, eventually pulling in nearly $50 million during its run. Now another new anime film expanding on a massive new series is aiming to replicate that success by luring in fans who simp for a chirpy blue-eyed, white-haired sorcerer named Gojo Satoru who can mess with the fabric of space-time by crossing his fingers.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0, a prequel to the shōnen Jujutsu Kaisen, which began airing in late 2019 with one of the best-ever end credits in TV, arrived in North American theaters on Friday. It earned a respectable $17.7 million-second to The Batman‘s third-week grab of almost $37 million. While that difference might look chasmic, consider this: JJK0 beat the next most profitable opening, Ti West’s wild horror film X, by more than $13 million despite bowing in fewer theaters and without a cinephile-favorite distributor (A24) behind it. Instead, it caters specifically to fans who have been dying to see more of the anime about high schoolers who fight curses with cool counter-curses since its first season ended a year ago.And for people who have watched Jujutsu Kaisen, JJK0 scratches that itch in adapting a fan-favorite manga arc set in the year before the events of the main series and closes the loop between the two in a short post-credits scene establishing that we shouldn’t be surprised to see a new character showing up in Season 2 (coming out in 2023). But for those who got dragged along as a plus-one without knowing any of the context, this movie would likely be befuddling, throwing almost every character from the series on-screen at some point with no introduction. If you’re in a seat, you’re expected to have intimate familiarity with the ensemble of sorcerer instructors and older students surrounding pink-haired series protagonist Itadori Yuji on his quest to eat all 20 of the petrified fingers from the body of the world’s most powerful curse, Sukuna.

But again, JJK0 has nothing to do with Yuji and his new classmates, the insanely cool Nobara Kugisaki and detached Megumi Fushiguro. In the year before they arrive at Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College, a different special boy is taken in by Gojo: Okkustu Yuta, kind of a sad sack cursed by his childhood love, Orimoto Rika, who takes on a giant, monstrous, and terrifying form called the Queen of Curses when Yuta is in trouble, brutally murdering four bullies at the beginning of the movie. With the help of series second-years-Inumaki Toge, who mumbles nonsense words in everyday conversation because of his cursed speech power; Maki Zen-in, who comes from a famous jujutsu sorcerer family and has one of the series’ standout episodes that breaks shōnen conventions; and Panda, literally an anthropomorphic panda made by a ritual called cursed corpse mutation-Yuta must learn how to control Rika lest she be seized by all of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s big bad, Geto Suguru, a former friend of Gojo’s and megalomaniac intent on killing all non-sorcerers.

Fleshing out Geto and Gojo’s backstory-clearly fraught, though the reason why is more ambiguous in the series-in JJK0 is one of its more gratifying hallmarks, but the main attractions here are the big melees in all of their architecture-bulldozing glory animated by MAPPA, especially during the final showdown between Yuta and Geto while the Rolodex of jujutsu sorcerers take down the 1,000 curses that Geto has unleashed around Japan. Considering the series, it’s not really a spoiler to say that the good guys win, but the blowout battle back-builds the true stakes of the previous 24 episodes, which often found time to be laugh-out-loud funny as Yuji comes into his own power as Sukuna’s vessel in between frighteningly dire fights with super-tough curses (at least one of which Evil fans will recognize in the volcano-headed Jogo). With Geto scheming his big comeback, those who have seen JJK0 will at least know that Yuji, Gojo, and co. have help on the way, packing the power of one giant curse with lots of sharp teeth.

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Leanne Butkovic is a senior entertainment editor at Thrillist on Twitter @leanbutk.

Entertainment

Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2023 in Australia

And what it means to be in the year of the Rabbit.

where to celebrate lunar new year australia

Starting with the new moon on Sunday, January 22, this Lunar New Year ushers in the year of the Rabbit. We’ve put together a guide on celebrating the Lunar New Year in Australia.

What is special about the year of the Rabbit?

As you might know, each year has an animal sign in the Chinese Zodiac, which is based on the moon and has a 12-year cycle. This year, we celebrate the year of the rabbit, known to be the luckiest out of all twelve animals. It symbolises mercy, elegance, and beauty.

What celebrations are taking place and how can I get involved?

There are plenty of festivals happening all around the country which you can get involved with. Here they are per state.

New South Wales

Darling Harbour Fireworks
When: Every year, Sydney puts on a fireworks show, and this year, you can catch it on January 28 and February 4 at 9 pm in Darling Harbour.

Dragon Boat Races
When: Witness three days of dragon boat races and entertainment on Cockle Bay to usher in the Lunar New Year. The races will commence on January 27 and finish on January 29.

Lion Dances
When: Catch a traditional Lion Dance moving to the beat of a vigorous drum bringing good luck and fortune for the Lunar New Year. The dance performances will happen across Darling Harbour on Saturday, January 21, Sunday, January 22, and Sunday, February 4 and 5, around 6 pm and 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at Cirrus Dining
When: Barangaroo’s waterfront seafood restaurant, Cirrus, is celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with a special feast menu. Cirrus’ LNY menu is $128pp with optional wine pairing and is available from Saturday, January 21, to Sunday, February 5.

Auntie Philter
When: Hello Auntie’s owner and executive chef, Cuong Nguyen will be dishing out some of the most classic Vietnamese street foods with his mum, Linda. All of Philter’s favourites will be on offer, as well as Raspberry Pash Beer Slushies and other cocktails being served at the Philter Brewing rooftop bar on Sunday, January 22 and Sunday, January 29.

Victoria

Lunar New Year Festival
When: Ring in the Lunar New Year with food, music, arts, and more on Sunday, January 22, from 10 am to 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at the National Gallery of Victoria
When: Celebrate the year of the rabbit at the National Gallery of Victoria’s festival of art, food, and art-making activities for everyone from 10 am-5 pm.

Queensland

BriAsia Festival
When: From February 1-19, Brisbane will come alive with performances, including lion dances and martial arts displays. There will be street food, workshops, comedy and more.

South Australia

Chinatown Adelaide Street Party
When: Adelaide is set to hose a fun-filled day celebrating the Chinese New Year on Saturday, January 28, from 12 pm to 9 pm.

Western Australia

Crown Perth
When: Across January and February, Crown Perth hosts free live entertainment, including colourful lion dances, roving mascots, and drumming performances. The restaurants will also throw banquets and menus dedicated to the Lunar New Year.

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